GST grounds four IndiGo planes

Low-cost airline IndiGo said on Friday that four of its Airbus A320 planes are grounded as spare engines are stuck with the customs authority over Goods and Services Tax (GST) issues.This has added to the woes of the airline which has already seen grounding of eight A320neo planes due to engine issues affecting around 60 flights across its domestic network till the end of September this year.

“This is to clarify that our 8 Airbus A320neo planes are grounded (due to engine issues). Our schedule has already planned for the non-availability of these aircraft for July, August and September. The affected passengers have already been accommodated with suitable options,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.

IndiGo had to cancel around 60 flights on its domestic network as a result of the snag in its Pratt & Whitney engine on its A320neo planes, sources said. The airline is experiencing operational issues with the A320neo engines due to “premature degradation of the combustor chamber lining and the premature wear of the No. 3 bearing seal.”

“As a result, we continue to have a high number of engine removals and sufficient spare engines have not been available. Regrettably, there have been days when we have had to ground as many as nine A320neos due to lack of spare engines,” IndiGo president and whole-time director Aditya Ghosh had said during a conference call with analysts on July 31.